Biggest MMA betting upsets of 2023: Ranking the top 10

In 2023, MMA saw its fair share of underdogs who defied the odds in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, and beyond. While everyone has an opinion of who should win and who should lose, the oddsmakers (and how the betting public responds) largely get the final say on what history reflects.

This year, with the help of MMA database Tapology, MMA Junkie has compiled the top 10 betting upsets of 2023. Fights that were eligible were those that multiple major online sportsbooks recognized, and that Tapology recorded before the close of the betting line.

Promotions eligible include UFC, Bellator, PFL, KSW, DWCS, Road to UFC, and ONE Championship.

Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2023 below. Only major MMA promotions were included in the tally.

Brendson Ribeiro punched his ticket to the UFC in style and ruined plenty of parlays in the process. Going up against the reigning LFA light heavyweight champion Bruno Lopes, and a fighter believed to be a UFC shoo-in, Ribeiro quickly gave the story an alternate ending. He pummeled Lopes en route to a Round 1 stoppage.

It took Jeka Saragih a total of 91 seconds to defy the odds Nov. 18 at the UFC Apex when he brutally knocked out Lucas Alexander. The victory was Saragih’s first in the promotion.

The solo disqualification win that registered on this list begins to Cody Brundage, who was hit in the back of the head with an elbow during a Sept. 23 bout vs. Jacob Malkoun. Referee Mark Smith called timeout as a result of the foul and it was later determined Brundage was unable to continue.

One of the most emphatic rallies was a big upset, too. In a Nov. 4 co-main event spot in Sao Paulo, Nicolas Dalby turned things around and poured on an onslaught of attack against Gabriel Bonfim. The barrage of strikes materialized in a TKO late in Round 2.

Perhaps one of the most high-profile upsets in UFC history, Sean Strickland, the unlikely next title challenger, flew across the world and put on a clinic against reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. In enemy territory, Strickland won four rounds on all three judges’ scorecards – and was cheered upon the decision announcement.

A massive betting upset flew somewhat under the radar at Bellator 293 in March, when relative unknown Jeff Creighton established himself in MMA history when he defeated massive favorite Joey Davis. The fight played out mostly along the fence as Division II NCAA wrestling champion Davis shot for takedown after takedown. What he lacked in positional control, Creighton seemed to make up for in damage, at least in the eyes of the judges. It was close, but Creighton got the nod – and one of the biggest oddsmaker upsets ever.